Which would you choose and why?

Question

Okay, so here's the circumstance: You are held hostage with 10 other people in a locked building by a criminal. The criminal- for whatever reason- decides to let you live and allow you to leave the building. However, you have two options: (1) You leave but all other 10 hostages are killed by the criminal with a gun. or (2) You leave with 5 hostages of your choice... but you will be forced to kill the remaining five with a gun. Which do you choose? The "best answer" will be the most articulated response with legitimate reasons. Only choose option 1 or option 2- do not come up with a response like "I'd take the gun and kill the criminal."

Answer 1

This is just another version of one side of the Trolley problem.

After the answering period is up, we'll see what the majority of the people answer. Most likely, as can be seen from the answers already, people will choose option 1 because it doesn't involve being a direct and personal cause in the deaths of the other people.

I honestly can't answer the question though. I could try and rationalize it away (are they family members, are they strangers? would I feel guilty in either case? etc.), but who's to say what I'd actually do when I am in the actual situation?

If you want something useful to glean from my answer, however, I'd have to admit that I can't look at this problem from the utilitarian standpoint. I can't judge them on a gradient of being more-or-less moral. I can't view either as a little bit "right" at all.

Answer 2

I think what I'm going to say is more or less not Reasonable; but I'm convinced that its the best! Since I don't have enough options in front of me...

I'd probably go with (Option 2) WHY?
Because it's better to save 5 lives than nothing at all...
I mean by leaving the building and getting away won't solve the problem, all 10 will get killed anyways; but when I leave with 5 hostages It'll be much more lighter than for all 10 to die. PLUS! I'll get to choose which one to kill and which to take with me. I'll try to be very selective in choosing who lives as in (Young People, Children or anything like that)....

Answer 3

First off, I don't like either option.
Put in that situation, I'd rather give someone else the choice of the two, and suffer my fate.
However, to answer your question, if I was forced to choose one or the other...
I would leave the other hostages behind.
While it may be a "nobler" decision to take five hostages with me, I could not kill the other five.
I imagine the guilt of leaving the others behind would be overwhelming. I'm not sure that I could emotionally cope with the abandonment in my soul, or with the ridicule from society and those hostages' family members that would surely follow.
While I can only imagine the aftermath of choosing to leave alone, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I could not make the other choice and kill the remaining five. I would kill myself before I killed another (in that specific situation.)

Answer 4

I would choose option one. Chances are if there were 11 people being held hostage by someone that the police would be outside. I would run outside tell them were the gunman was situated and they could go in and save the remaining 10 hostages. The reason I would not choose option 2 is because I could never kill someone and how would I decide who was to live and who was to die? I could not live with myself knowing I killed 5 innocent people and allowed 5 to live. By choosing option one I am giving the chance for everyone to survive.

Answer 5

I am going to go ahead and admit that I would probably leave rather than murder 5 people. I have no excuse or reason. I just know I couldn't kill them. That embarrasses me to admit it, but I am being honest. I am not that strong so I must be a coward.

I came back. I thought what if my children and husband were in the group and I realized that I would shoot 5 people if it let those 3 leave with me.

You made me come back again and I had to turn my computer back on. I decided that I could choose 5 and shoot the other 5 but I don't know what I would base my choices on. I would probably shoot the ones who were oldest or couldn't cope. Anyone nervous and screaming would have to die. I could do it. Sorry. I could murder 5 people. This question makes me sick at my stomach a little but it's a very hard one to answer.

Answer 6

option 2. The only way that I would have to kill the other five, given your circumstance, is if the criminal gave me his gun. And according to his commands I have to kill five in order to leave. He never said that he had to witness it. I lead them to another room so not to "traumatize" the other hostages, pop off five shots and then let them go down the fire escape. Take the reamining bullets out of the gun, throw them out the window and give him back his gun. Once outside, I notify the authorities with the current situation so that they rescue the other five. Everyone lives.

Answer 7

by the way in the first option what do you mean by the other 10 hostages? do you mean the other 9 hostages? coz you are part of the 10 hostages right. anyway, what i'll do is the first option. i'll save my as-s and forget the whole thing. i wouldn't try to be a hero and save the others. and besides i dont want my hands to be shedded by blood from killing people.

Answer 8

As difficult as it is to think about, I would have to choose number 2. Given the option to save five lives I believe that is the only possible answer. I believe the truely difficult part would be deciding who stays and who goes. But in the end 5 lives lost, alothough tragic, is much better then 10.

Answer 9

I guess saving half is better than none at all, but that is just a lose-lose question......plus, there is no gurantee that the gunman will kill anyone, all I know is I would not leave, ten people should be able to take one man out, I would not want to play god, I still have nightmares about having to put a dog of mine down and that was 9 years ago.

Answer 10

Two terrible choices, but I would leave alone because I could never kill anyone under any circumstances. I pick up spiders and put them out of the house rather than kill them.